Mogadishu – Thirty officers serving with the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) have concluded a five-day training course on how to protect human rights and promote gender equality in Peace Support Operations to enable them to better discharge their duties in Somalia.
The Head of ATMIS Protection, Human Rights and Gender Division Dr. Omar Abdulle Alasow, Friday, presided over the closing session of the training aimed at enhancing the observance of human rights in the current AU peace mission.
“As CIMIC and Gender officers, it is our duty to support the protection of civilians through continued mentoring of the Somali Security Forces (SSF) and promoting community engagement, sensitization, awareness raising, advocacy, and specific activities,” said Dr. Alasow.
Dr. Alasow was representing the African Union Special Representative for Somalia and Head of ATMIS, Ambassador Mohamed El-Amine Souef.
The training brought together gender focal points and Civil-Military Cooperation (CIMIC) officers from all the ATMIS Areas of Responsibility.
The participants will now form a pool of trainers who will in turn train their counterparts and the Somali Security Forces (SSF) on the promotion and protection of human rights, and gender equality.
“I urge you to utilise this knowledge and bolster your effectiveness and efficiency in delivering your tasks and cascade the knowledge from the training to the Somali Security Forces during the transition period,” Dr Alasow told the officers.
ATMIS Force Commander, Lt. Gen. Sam Okiding, who spoke at the opening session on Monday, highlighted that the promotion and protection of human rights is one of the core values of the mission, and urged the participants to translate the knowledge and skills gained during the training into actionable activities.
“The Protection Human Rights and Gender Division plays a crucial role in ensuring that the mission’s planning and operations are conducted in compliance with international and regional obligations,” he affirmed.
The course included sessions on gender in peace support operations, aspects of sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV), and conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV); sexual exploitation and abuse, and civilian casualty tracking.
ATMIS Police Gender Officer, Superintendent of Police, Thomas Robin Mansaray, a participant, said: “the training has been positive. We are going to impart the same knowledge to our colleagues who will, in turn, impart the same to the Somali Police Force and the Somali National Army.”
Source: ATMIS
